True, Atrocities were committed against Nuer in Juba, but why those against Bor Dinka?

Many commentators and critics alike are only calling for the release of prisoners. While a call for the release of all political prisoners is a genuine one, why we shouldn’t we call equally on Dr. Riek Machar to respect the lives of the faultless and innocent people of South Sudan irrespective of their tribes affiliation?

His forces have subjected people to frequent vicious cycles of violence; many of whom suffered unbearable death before the eyes of the very people who claim to be liberators and freedom fighters.

This is clear hypocrisy at its best! The lives of those Nuers killed in Juba are of course very important, and so do the lives of people murdered in Akoba, Pariang, and Bentiu and Bor town.

South Sudanese educated ones must write with balance in condemning all atrocities regardless of their tribes. I have heard many commentators and politicians condemn only massacre of Nuers in Juba. But what about the cycle of toxic violence done in Bor, Akoba, Bentiu and Malakal?

Those people were viciously and inhumanely murdered in those towns, and their deaths are identical to ones murdered in Juba. Their extermination should be equally condemnable.

We must condemn all inhumane acts equally if we want genuine peace and reconciliation to prevail over all biases; otherwise, we may have a long-drawn-out cycle of vengeance, God forbid!

The genuine questions I must ask as a citizen of Bor County are where did we go wrong with the Nuer community?

Why are Nuers killing our innocent people? Is there anything we are doing as a community that is thwarting the Nuer quest for top leadership of South Sudan?

Why did the White army massacre the poor residents of Bor County indiscriminately?

Did someone tell them the presidential guards allegedly accused of massacring Nuers in Juba were from Bor? What is the rationality behind the annihilation of Bor County, or other Jiengs?

Does Riek Machar really want to rule South Sudan without the Bor Community?

One wonders why he allowed such deplorable atrocities to be committed among the very people he claims he is fighting to free?

One can claim to be democratic and condone the atrocities committed in Bor Civil Hospital and Bor Cathedral Church only amount to dishonesty.

Allowing such atrocities to take place in Bor Civil Hospital, Bor Town Cathedral Church, and villages around Bor Town while one is silent does not translate into moral, democratic, and ethical ideals.

Dr. Riek Machar must recognize a good and respectful leader must endeavor for greater good for all people, regardless of their tribes’ affiliation.

Nelson Mandela gained international respect because of his good intentions when he was fighting for freedom for all South Africans.

After spending decades of years behind bars while his people were butchered by the white South Africans, He wasn’t vengeful.

His good leadership accorded him a world class commemoration last year!

I wonder why some writers compare Riek with Mandela? I am curious about this because Dr. Riek Machar has been called the Nelson Mandela of South Sudan.

What a disgraceful comparison to such iconic leader.

In my opinion, he is closer to Adolf Hitler. Just as Hitler aimed to eliminate all Jews, Riek is aiming to eliminate all Bor people.

If this is not true, why is he silent about these atrocities? His silence on the killing of innocents, and the action of his militias in Bor Town has clearly demonstrated unkind intentions toward the people of Bor County!

Otherwise, why is he not restraining his people to not kill civilians in Bor County and other parts of South Sudan?

The crimes committed at Church, Bor civil Hospital, and homes are very inhumane for a well-educated Briton engineer like Riek to condone.

Lastly, the mentality of those who are fighting for him does not lend him good respect across Bor, let alone South Sudan.

Dr. Riek must come clean on why the very people he commands commit such unspeakable and callous crimes in Bor County, but remains silent this long.

His silence during the events incriminates him equally with those committing crimes.

I am equally not happy with the government in Juba. Should Riek Machar abandon his desire for the top leadership today?

It would be obvious to see them rushing to the podium delighted to give presidential pardon and amnesty immediately without thinking of what harm Riek has inflicted on ordinary citizens.

We have seen this with the Yau Yau case and many others if antiquity is anything to go by? It would be alright for them as long as their throne is untouchable.

A call for peace and reconciliation must be done by all citizens.

All South Sudanese must rise above their tribal lines and advocates for a just and peaceful South Sudan; otherwise we will all die like a bunch of fools altogether! South Sudan is much bigger than any tribe.

We must condemn both leaders equally regardless of our tribal affiliation.

Anyone who has followed the sequence of events in South Sudan closely would not only blame Dr. Riek, but the government as well.

The authorities acted negligently and arrogantly without professional skepticism from the beginning of this current political crisis and they should be culpable for what has happened under their eyes.

Facts about chain of events:
Dr. Riek was removed as chairman of truth and reconciliation committee.
Delegated powers stripped
He was sacked as vice president
Attempts to push him out the party were made.

Do you see anything wrong here? These processes were seen by his supporters as an attempts to suppress him politically.

It is in this context that I refuse to accept to call what happened in December 15th a coup!

12 Comments

Dinka killed Nuer and Nuer killed Dinka. It is like a football Match. They are all bloodthirsty. Hopeless group of people who will murder themselves to extinction. The good news is that, UPDF will contain that war to the killing fields of Upper Nile and leave the rest of us in peace. Long live savages and their wars.

Kwai,
You must sometime admit that, you Dinka in general have cause too much havoc to many others non dinkas. You abused others that you are liberators, behave as if God created you different from many of us. Equally, You go a round and settled by force in other people location with no cautions of your actions. I must also inform you that, though I am not fun of Nuer, they, Nuer, do not go and grab other people land by force and you don’t hear IDPs every where, but you Dinkas. You must put your house in order first before you seek for outside answer!

Now, Why are you blaming Riech for what we all know that, SSG was about to burst anyway? The government was not into caring SS citizen includes you and me. The murdered in Juba was bad and whoever initiated it is responsible of all ill act a cross the nation. When the incident took place in Juba, it’s only Gen. Killer Kiir who know why he cook up a cook after members of Political recognized that enough is enough with their corruption and they acted in way that, when you realized that you have lost your track, it’s acceptable to admit that, you are not in right direction. Those of Riek, Pagan, Mama Garang, Taban Gai and other came out and admit of corruptions and wrong direction government was heading and they want the president to work within their own house to correct things but your Killer Kiir get scared and thought that, those of Pagan, Gai, Riek and etc want to overthrow his government, and hence, prepared ultimate, “Coup ” was label against these people.

Let us be honest, yes, Riek was remove but he never advocate for violence and you and I know that! How would you feel if your reciprocal what happened in Juba? Will your blame shift as you are thinking or you will sit put and keep a blind eye?.

It was Presidential guards where everything was split out of control and it was in watched eye of Killer Kiir to contain the situation but instead he clowned himself and appeared in-front of Dinkas Television Network (DTN) and televised what he blamed Riek as “Prophet of Doom”. Now we know and whole world know that, there was no such things as a coup.

Finally, You also have to remember that, most of the army that joint riek are not control by riek such as Gadad and others. Riek just take the blamed and he accepted it because he was second in command. You need to lay down your thinking and state what can be percive as neutral otherwise more lives will be lost. We south Sudanese need to learn and accept that, no one or tribe is more than others. This pride we created out of nothing will never help us. Now, if we going to have a change, we have to start from here. We know that Killer Kiir has had over 10 years and we are still fighting, no food, corruptions, robbery killing, secret MI killing is on rise worse than what Arab had done unto us, we got money but we cannot build our own modern hospital, we have police, military and wild life and etc are not paid for many months but politician like Benjamin fly to international world. We got to have a fresh blood in to get rid all those idiot jungle government.

Kwai,
There is no one here to give you right answer on why it happens. Dr. Riek was unhappy when his tribesmen failed to capture Juba. So, when they lost people in Juba fighting then Dr. Riek lost his integrity momentum of dreaming to be peoples’ leader. That is why Nuers take their madness on every Dinka. Plus his militia don’t even know what they were fighting for except looting was their main priority in Bor City. Also, Dr. Riek militias have killed Riek’s supporters in Bor City. Someone future could be defined by their action. Therefore; when Nuers militia killed elderly ones, disables, women, kids, and patients at Bor Civil Hospital, then one should know that Dr. Riek leadership is dying right there. How can one destroys infrastructure that becomes yours when you are going to take over as a leader? Thanks.

All human rights abuses like killings, raped, intimidations, etc are all violations that are highly condemable but all these autrocities carried by Nuer are not new for us Equatirorians because these were similar behaviours carried by dinka bor and other dinkas during the liberation strugled under late garang only God is teaching dinkas to repent from their cancerous manners.

Above all, the dinka are the ones who started killing the Nuer in Juba and the Nuer took revenge against dinkas as tribe much better than when Equatorians with all the many tribes of Equatira were treated as one community by late garang and kiir. For example officer Okidi an otuho was killed when dinka tried to revenge against deng agaung who first killed a didinga cheif called Nakwa.

You dinkas always start killing people and expect others to keep on praising you. What a dubious community

Kwai,
You equate Riek to Hittler but yet you did not Equate Kiir to Samuel Do or any other evil equivalent. You peripherally condemn Kiir without saying what you condemn him for. Your condemnation of Kiir and his Massacre of Nuer people is Lukewarm but yet your condemnation of Riek is strong although baseless!

Kiir is a government, Kiir has his unformed soldier on pay role by public money! His soldiers are trained! A government carries responsibility to protect all her citizens. When Kiirs decided to massacre Nuer women and children not one but in 2 to 3 days, The president being the commander in chief carries the blame! It is like a mother eating her own children versus the Child is being eaten by a wild animal! Do you see the moral imperatives?? Kiir is the one entrusted to protect the people of outh Sudan not Riek! The SPLM is the one entrusted to protect the people of South Sudan, Not the white army whom in the beginning operated outside Riek! It is the SPLM entrusted to protect the people not the white army! You can not compare the moral responsibilities of the two campus although equally horrendous!

Juba refuse to sit with Rieks representative initially in Nairobi because they said, Rebels can not be equated with a government…There is some truth to that! Rebels are Rebels because they threw away the law, What they did can not be accepted but the government has the obligations to uphold its law but also international laws and protect all her people. In this case it was the government that started the canabolism!!!!! You see why what they did against Nuer Women in Children stands taller than whatever the Nuer who themselves were condemn by this government did in retaliations!

The Human being psychic tend to accept easier, a reaction to horror than the one who threw the first punch and here the Dinka government of juba started the massacre that expanded to Bor and other places!!! Kiir is responsible for your peoples death in Bor! Cry to him!

The negative point of every writer focuses only in a ethnic base. I think you people should know that, Reik Machar did not mobilize those who are fighting for his name. But Riek Machar he is a lucky man and an opportune who gets always a ground prepared for him and put his own agenda.
Don’t for get Bor is a capital of Jonglei State, this as it was plan by Abel Alier and Ruben Mach in 1970s.
Do you know the current fighting does not include Dukein and Tuic East? Did you asked your self why? Other issue you should have in mind isr that, the army which has committed genocides in juba, leer, Bantu, Rubkona and other areas in Nuerland are being commanded by Kwol Manyang, Malual Ayom and other Senior officers from Bor.
Who brought Ugandan troops bombing Nuer with chemical weapons now? I think we better think of good way how to find way of real reconciliation.

You reap what you have sown. Hatred breeds hatred and war breeds war.
Why did the Jieng start to kiir the Nuers? You wanted to get Machar dead but he has proven that you are idiots!!!!!
Until you are able to understand and repent for your crimes, South Sudan will bot hold you.
Your enmity with the Nuer will not end. Get prepared to receive pay for the sins you committed.

Negatives hearsay from all corners, Mr. Killer Kiir killed Nuer people in Juba because he was a pussy, that was why he brought UPDF to protect him and his Dinka criminals. From now forward we will trust only dead Dinka. Being a second citizen in your own country is unacceptable by any man in this world. First if you’re a Nuer man, kill Dinka of Dinka before you kill real Dinka. let me remind you old said “Gangs are a political tool of control or common criminals fighting a district war” Killer Kiir deployed 15000 Gangs men to kill Nuer and any minorities tribe who can support Nuer. I felt sorry for Marial Bil,Riek Gai, James Hoth, Lam Chuol, Yual Bath, Yien Makuach, and many more Dinka of Dinka. You took Juba important places from Nuer and you allowed Dinka Drug dealers to go door to door to kill your relatives, No peace between Dinka government and South Sudanese nations.

Tell Mistaken Museveni that Nuer are stronger than your criminals Jiengs, now you are not helping them , you are killing them and they knew that inside their heart, unless you stop using your evil way to kill Nuer. Because of anti-Gay laws you signed, USA will cut your financial assistance soon and oil in south Sudan belonged to Nuer.

I had a lot of interest in your article because it started with an objective tone. However, in the middle and at the end you lost your objectivity yet you cried for objectivity at the start of the article. There has been killing in all the war affected areas, but you chose to concentrate of the killings in Bor as if the Bor people are the most painful people to die.

It is not correct to assume that it was only the rebels who destroyed the infrastructures in Bor or anywhere else during this insurgency. Have you ever sat down to think about the nature of destruction the aerial bombs from Helicopter Gunships and other Mic of UPDF can do to infrastructures.

“We must condemn both leaders equally regardless of our tribal affiliation” by Kwai. Did you follow this line of your assertion in this article? Absolutely no. You have used soft description of what Monster Kiir did but used very strong terms to describe Riek. And you want us to believe you are an objective writer we should admire. Shame on you. Given that you are done with Riek in terms of condemnation, I want to take this opportunity to balance it up so that it is equal, Kiir is comparable to Pinnochet of Chile.

It is ridiculous that you don’t see anything wrong with the political events that surrounded Riek under Kiir regime. Do we have to always resort to pushing out those we disagreed on issues with in SPLM out of the party? Riek was expressing his views and it was not right to kick him out of SPLM for his views. A political party is well built if party members can only handle their disagreement without sidelining its own members.

We have a long way to go as far learning real politics is concerned. We are still using rebel mentality in political arena.

If you want to see true reconciliation, tell your Dinka brothers to stop using languages that demean other tribes. For example, “Dinkas are born to rule”, “Dinkas are the liberators of South Sudan”. Did the Dinkas fight alone during the war? Did the Dinkas vote alone in the Referendum? Unless the Dinkas drop their egoistic pride there won’t be peace in South Sudan.

The Nuer who were killed in Juba were mainly young men who participated in the fighting. They have killed their colleagues and when they realized that they have been defeated and their had abandoned them, they decided to melt back as civilians. so they were identified and arrested by their comrades whom they were fighting with. They mistake was that they shouldn’t have killed them, but hold them as prisoners of war. Unfortunately, 200 of them were shot. No civilians were targeted in Juba unlike what happened in Greater Upper Nile where both soldiers and civilians of Dinka ethnicity were killed in cold blood. Some even killed their wives who are Dinkas with their children.

So brother Kwai, war is war and such inhumane atrocities are sometimes committed by soldiers without orders from those who command them. Don’t be emotional. They are gone. We have to plan how to address this in order not to happen again to coming generations.
Whoever is to blame for this crisis, time will come when the truth will come out.

“When two bulls fight,it is the grass that suffers” thats a saying from the Madi people. No matter what happens, Kiir, Machar, and other guys in the ruling class will never suffer. Its the citizens who will bear the brunt of the war. I bet the children of the elites are all out of the country pursuing their studies or enjoying life while the common man takes arm to fight so that they can maintain their lifestyles. If you have to fight for Machar to be President, demand that his sons be in the frontline. Likewise if fighting to maintain Kiirs presidency, then his close family members should be in the frontline because they stand to benefit the most.